Standard Spoken'Usage; *Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Role

As studies indicate that dialect usage is not a barrier ' to reading, teachers can create an effective reading program for black-studentl'not by giving instruction in standard English, but by changing their own attitude toward black dialect. Showing that dialect users reencode.standard English into their own language patterns, when reading orally, Y. and X,.--.Goodman's study found that many grammatital miscues-are, in fact, signs of reading for meaning. The research.sugggsts, therefore, that teachers need to treat students ' home language with respect. Teachers without reading materials adapted to dialect can improve-their teaching of dialect users i4they effect changes in their-own knowledge, attitudes, methods and materials, including (1) recognizing that students' cultural experiences will affect their reading comprehension, (2) learning more abut students ' dialect patterns, (3) accepting dialect miscues as evidence tJat students are comprehending what they read, and (4) focusing not bn word identification but on larger strategies for improving comprehensiion, such as SQ3R (survey; question,,jead, recite, and review). (MM